Aston Martin Officially Releases Details of the 2013 Vanquish

After several days of leaked images and spy photos, official images and specs of the 2013 Vanquish are here.

By this point, we all know what the new Aston Martin Vanquish looks like. Only yesterday did we receive a great set of spy shots showing the new grand tourer sans camouflage taking some laps around the Nurburgring. Later in the day some leaked photos made their way online just hours ahead of the official debut. So here we are today with all of the details and higher quality images. The 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish is set to replace the outgoing DBS as the British automaker flagship V12 model.

Thing is, besides from the all-new sheetmetal, which is absolutely gorgeous, the car is built on an updated version of the DBS's platform. Although it's not entirely new, Aston Martin gave it a number of improvements, such as better torsional rigidity by more than 25 percent. They also managed to lighten the platform through the use of carbon fiber in the rear structure and hallow-cast aluminum that replaces the solid cast aluminum at the front end. The front chassis structure is now 13 percent lighter and even the Vanquish's body panels are made from carbon fiber.

Size wise, the Vanquish has the same wheelbase length as the DBS, but it's grown in size a bit by being 5mm wider and 14mm taller. All told, it weighs 3,834 lbs. - 120 lbs. less than the DBS. Additionally, Aston Martin claims it has a 50/50 weight distribution. Also acting as a somewhat carry-over from the DBS is the engine, which is a revised version of the naturally aspirated 5.9-liter V12. As expected, power output has increased (by 55hp) to a total of 565hp and 457lb-ft of peak torque at 5,500 rpm. The front-mounted V12 is mated to the same six-speed automatic slushbox as was in the DBS.

It can go from 0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 183 mph. The DBS did both in 4.3 seconds and 190 mph, respectively. Yes, top speed has gone down a bit which is somewhat unusual for a supercar. It rides on a set of 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels and features the six-piston front brake calipers from the One-77. The rear brakes have four-piston calipers. Aston Martin also gave the Vanquish the latest version of their Adaptive Damping System (ADS) which allows the driver to switch between three different damping modes: Normal, Sport and Track.

Speaking of the One-77, it's evidently clear Aston Martin opted to (wisely) take many styling cues from their now out of production supercar. You can still tell that the Vanquish is an evolution of the DBS's styling, but the sharper lines throughout are clearly from the One-77. Overall, it's a striking design that's also unmistakably Aston Martin. Will the edgier look age well? Time will tell on that one. The interior is also an evolution of the old, featuring a similar layout with that of the DBS. It's sleeker than before, but its update is not as dramatic as, say, that of the 991 Porsche 911 when compared to the old 997's interior.

Passenger space has also been increased, specifically legroom and elbow room. Knee room is also increased by 50mm because the dash has been moved forward by 20mm. The Vanquish will be offered in either 2+0 or 2+2 seating configurations and trunk space has been dramatically increased by 60 percent.

The 2013 Vanquish will arrive in European showrooms in late 2012 and the first U.S. deliveries will be in early 2013. Pricing will start at $279,995 in the U.S.